Stefan Dujarrick
The UN has commented on the extension of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START, unofficially called START-3). UN Secretary General's spokesman Stephane Dujarrick called this the first step towards enhancing nuclear arms control. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
“We welcome the five-year extension of START III as a means of maintaining the verifiable limits of the world's two largest nuclear arsenals,” Dujarrick said. He also called on the parties to the agreement to use these five years to reach other agreements in the field of arms reduction.
On February 3, Moscow and Washington exchanged notes on the extension of the START Treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced this. The countries have officially extended the missile treaty for five years. Thus, it will operate as signed until February 5, 2026.
The treaty stipulates that each side must not have more than 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and strategic bombers. In total, they can carry no more than 1,550 warheads.
The total number of deployed and non-deployed launchers of ICBMs and SLBMs, as well as deployed and non-deployed bombers, shall not exceed 800.
